Vleck C M, Dobrott S J
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson 85721.
Horm Behav. 1993 Mar;27(1):92-107. doi: 10.1006/hbeh.1993.1007.
Vasectomized male Texas bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus texanus) are used as foster fathers in a program to reintroduce the endangered masked bobwhite quail to its native habitat. Less than half of the Texas bobwhite, however, show appropriate alloparental behavior toward the chicks. They also undergo a significant decline in testosterone (T) after 3 to 4 days exposure to the chicks. Males that do not show alloparental behavior undergo a significant increase in T during the same exposure to chicks. Implants containing the antiandrogen flutamide do not affect the courtship and copulation behavior of mated bobwhite males, but flutamide implants do decrease the tendency of these males to act aggressively in the presence of an intruder into the pen of the pair. Flutamide implants do not, however, increase the probability that the males will exhibit alloparental behavior toward chicks that are not their own. Implants containing a mixture of flutamide and ATD (an aromatization inhibitor) also do not increase alloparental behavior. We conclude that while blocking the behavioral effects of T may be necessary for the expression of parental or alloparental behavior, it is not sufficient, suggesting that some other hormonal change may also be necessary to stimulate parental care of precocial chicks.
输精管切除的雄性德州彩鹌鹑（Colinus virginianus texanus）被用作养父，参与一项将濒危的蒙面彩鹌鹑重新引入其原生栖息地的计划。然而，不到一半的德州彩鹌鹑对雏鸟表现出适当的异亲行为。在接触雏鸟3至4天后，它们的睾酮（T）水平也会显著下降。在相同的接触雏鸟期间，未表现出异亲行为的雄性T水平会显著升高。含有抗雄激素氟他胺的植入物不会影响已交配的彩鹌鹑雄性的求偶和交配行为，但氟他胺植入物确实会降低这些雄性在有入侵者进入其配对围栏时的攻击倾向。然而，氟他胺植入物并不会增加雄性对非自己雏鸟表现出异亲行为的概率。含有氟他胺和ATD（一种芳香化酶抑制剂）混合物的植入物也不会增加异亲行为。我们得出结论，虽然阻断T的行为效应可能是亲代或异亲行为表达所必需的，但这并不充分，这表明可能还需要一些其他激素变化来刺激对早成雏的亲代照料。
